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Biodiversity
The amount and range of species found in a area
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Protect
- To legally guard from harm a species that is endangered, threatened, or of special concern
- E.g. Peary caribou
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Biodiversity Hotspot
- A place with a very large amount of species in a relatively small area
- E.g. Carolinian Canada, Leitrim Wetlands
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Community
- All the populations and different species that interact in an certain area or ecosystem
- Different species are of different value to their communities due to ecosystem services
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Dominant Species
- Species that are so large (in number) that they have the biggest biomass of any community member
- Always primary producers
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Keystone Species
- A species that can greatly affect population numbers and the health of an ecosystem
- Generally not abundant; can be plants or animals
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Captive Breeding
- The breeding of rare or endangered species in controlled setting to increase population size
- e.g. breeding of black-footed ferret in Toronto Zoo
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Ecosystem Engineer
- A species that causes such dramatic changes to landscape that it creates a new ecosystem
- E.g. Beavers
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Succession
The series of changes in ecosystems that occurs over time following a disturbance
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Habitat Loss
The destruction of habitats, which usually results from human activities
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Deforestation
- The clearing of forests for logging and other human uses, and never replanting them
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Alien Species
- A species that is accidentally or deliberately introduced to a new location, usually as a result of human activity
- e.g. Asian lady beetle, Zebra Mussels
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Invasive Species
- A species that can take over the habitat of native species or invade their bodies
- E.g. Round goby
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Overexploitation
- The use or extraction of a resource until it is depleted
- e.g. soon gasoline
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Extinction
- The death of all individuals of a species
- e.g. Dinosaurs
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Biodiversity Crisis
The accelerated rate of extinction on Earth
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Restoration Ecology
The renewal of degraded or destroyed ecosystems through active human intervention
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Reforestation
The regrowth of a forest, either through the planting of seeds or trees in an area where a forest was cut down
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Biocontrol
- The use of a species to control the population growth or spread of an undesirable species
- e.g. Asian lady beetles used to control aphid population
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Bioremediation
- The use of living organisms to clean up contaminated areas naturally
- e.g. Bacteria at oil spill location
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Bioaugmentation
- The uses of organisms to add essential nutrients to depleted soil
- e.g. clover ->nitrogen
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